Off the Beaten Track

Although China is now a major tourist draw, there are still places off the beaten track where a glimpse of a traditional China unspoiled by tourism is possible. Generally, these sites are outside the major east coast cities, in more remote regions of the country. I hoped that the itinerary I planned for my trip out of China would offer some. I was going to start in Beijing, then go south by train to Taiyuan then on to Pingyao and Xian. I would make my last stop in Yunnan, one of the most remote and still undeveloped regions of China.

My journey began with some pleasant surprises. For one it snowed. I got to see the Great Wall and Beijing in snow—an unusual opportunity. But I also found some remnants of China as it has long been in the heart of major tourist attractions. Who would have guessed, for example, that a Buddhist prayer wheel in Beijing’s most famous lamasery, the Yong Hegong, would need to be oiled.

Or that snow on the city walls of Xian must be cleared away with shovels and wheel barrows. (Note the wheel is centered underneath the barrow—a Chinese invention which decreases the energy needed to push or pull a heavy load.)

My first treat, however, came in Xian where I saw a shadow puppet show. Folktales told with the aid of these puppets were once a popular form of entertainment throughout China. The flat donkey skin figures are decorated with bright colors and intricate patterns cut out of the skin. Their hinged arms and legs can be manipulated by a puppeteer who stands behind a rear-lit translucent screen (often a sheet) on which scenery has been painted. The figures’ delicate shadows are then cast upon the screen before which the audience sits or stands.

When I got to Xian (where shadow puppets are thought to have originated), I mentioned my interest to my host who took me to an old house within the ancient walled city. (The 17^th century house itself was fascinating—a gift from a Ming emperor to a scholar who achieved the second highest grade on the imperial examinations at the age of 12!) For a dollar or two, we were treated to a performance of a traditional folk tale in which a young man disguised as a vendor waits outside the home of his bride-to-be. Neither he nor the girl has seen one another; the marriage had been arranged by a matchmaker. Obsessed with curiosity, he hopes to see the girl before the wedding.

The performance began with the clashing sounds of a traditional Chinese melody as the young man carrying two baskets on his shoulders entered from the left. He put down his load and lit his pipe, smoke curling from its bowl. After some time the young woman appeared from the right. They held a lengthy, teasing conversation and then separated, pleased with one another and the prospect of their coming marriage. After the performance we went behind the sheet to meet the puppeteer, a middle aged man with a broad smile.

Below Xian, in Shanxi province, another ancient town has recently been declared a World Heritage Site and will soon be developed into a major tourist attraction. Somehow the 20^th century passed Pingyao by, leaving its old city walls, well-preserved, traditional shop fronts, narrow streets and ancient bank untouched. A few modern hotels have been constructed behind the walls of traditional homes around their courtyards, but much of the city remains poor and free from tourists. I hit the Pingyao after a snowfall on a morning when teenage boys cast long shadows on the street before them as they made their reluctant way to school.

My last stop was Lijiang in Yunnan Province. One of China’s most isolated and picturesque areas, this province is home to a large number of ethnic minorities. Among them is the Naxi, a matrilineal tribal group who are now farmers.

This region was first made famous by Joseph Rock, an Austrian who settled there in the 1920s. Rock conducted ethnographic research, collected rare plant specimens for Harvard, and wrote illustrated articles for the National Geographic. His accounts of lamas and bandits, religious rites and Naxi tribal customs thrilled readers for several decades.

It was snowing my first day in Lijiang and so the day’s plan to visit a mountain meadow had to be cancelled. I mentioned my interest in Joseph Rock to my host, a young Naxi man. He suggested we change our plans and visit the small village where Joseph Rock’s house still stands, a museum of sorts. I quickly agreed and we soon found ourselves bumping over rough village streets surrounded by views of thickly wooded hills.

It took awhile to find the museum’s caretaker. I spent the time exploring the village. Although there were one or two modern homes (one an architect designed retreat for a wealthy Chinese family from Shanghai), most were traditional Naxi dwellings of stone and wood. These structures had withstood an earthquake some years back, unlike the modern Chinese buildings, prompting a renewed appreciation for traditional Naxi architecture in Lijiang. When the caretaker arrived, my Naxi guide Rock and I sat on the porch sipping tea, our feet warmed by a wood burning brazier on the floor.

The next day was clear, cold and very beautiful. We set out for Tiger Leaping Gorge where the Yangtze drives its way from the Himalayas through granite mountains on its way to central China and the sea. The gorge is threatened by plans for another mammoth, Chinese damn for generating electricity. This morning, however, 21^st century China seemed far away as we drove up in the mountains. High above the Yangtze we stopped at a small lamasery where a young monk promised to offer his prayers for whatever I desired. I decided to ask for long life, wealth and happiness—the traditional Chinese wish. This region is thought to have been the inspiration for James Hilton’s fictitious Shangri-la. It’s not hard to believe that it could inspire any fantasy and that was enough for me.

On the Beaten Track

No visit to China is complete without a trip to the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the Ming tombs, the Forbidden City and the Terracotta Warriors of Xian. (Of course, there are other famous sites, but these—with the exception of Xian—were within shooting distance of my base in Tianjin.) So donning my tourist persona I set out to visit each of these UNESCO World Heritage Sites before leaving China.

My first was the Summer Palace on the outskirts of Beijing on a lovely fall day—one of the best times of year to visit this playground of the Qing emperors. The site was first used by the Jin emperors in the 12^th century, but it was the Qing Emperor, Qianlong (of the Mountain Retreat in Chengdu fame), who really developed this park-like palace. Its centerpieces are Kunming Hu (Vast Bright Lake) enlarged with conscripted labor by Qianlong and Wan Shou shan (Longevity Mountain) which was created with the soil removed to create the lake.

Qianlong constructed a three storey octagonal Buddhist temple on the mountain side which he named the Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha. To its right on the lake’s northern shore he constructed palaces for himself (and his mother). Surrounding them are numerous small gardens and pavilions with poetic names (The Garden of Harmonious Interest, The Pavilion of Blessed Scenery, The Pavilion for Listening to Orioles), all of which seem more poetic in Chinese than in English!

The palace was heavily damaged by British and French troops in the Second Opium War in 1860. By that time, the notorious Ci Xi had risen to power. Born a member of one of the noble Manchu families, she became a concubine of the Emperor Xianfeng and bore him a son. When the emperor died, she abandoned the Mountain Retreat and rebuilt the Summer Palace (some say with funds intended for the Chinese navy). Here she reigned, a virtual empress, after locking her politically progressive son, the Emperor, in his quarters at the palace. The buildings are filled now with her effects—furniture, porcelains, clothes and calligraphy. I got the impression that today’s Chinese are impressed by her power, but ambivalent about the manner in which she acquired and exercised it.

My next excursion was the Great Wall at Badaling, about 45 miles northwest of Beijing. This is now a major tourist site, overrun with vendors of t-shirts and knickknacks. I visited on a cold and cloudy January day after a snowfall. The wall—much of it reconstructed here for tourists—is impressive as it snakes along the ridges from hill top to hill top. It’s a good workout too, if you walk it as I did, foregoing the chairlift to one of the higher hilltops.

The tour I took to Badaling also included a stop at the Ming tombs, where all but three of the 16 Ming emperors are buried. The Ming chose a scenic valley in which to bury their royalty. The emperors’ tombs were placed under large mounds of earth. Before each is a ‘spirit’ tower visible for miles around. I visited the tomb of the Yongle emperor who died in 1424. Before the tower there is a very large, traditional Chinese hall, notable for its huge cedar columns. On either side are porcelain ovens for burning paper offerings to the dead emperor. (Today’s Chinese continue this practice, burning paper money, cars, houses, washing machines and other offerings to their deceased ancestors.) The grave itself has not been excavated and will not be until the Chinese are confident they have the technology and know-how to preserve the fabrics and other fragile relics within the tomb.

I set out on another cold day to explore the imperial palaces after a recent snowfall. The Forbidden City is a huge complex at what the Chinese historically regarded as the center of the world. (They still refer to their country as Zhong Guo or ‘central country,’ although they no longer view the Forbidden City as its center.) After entering the Meridian Gate, I walked through three vast ceremonial courtyards, each dominated by a pavilion set on a marble terrace. The scale is awe inspiring—just the effect an emperor needs to impress his subjects. (The White House is an ordinary house in comparison—just the thing a ‘presider’ needs to preserve his influence in a democracy. )

After the first three ceremonial courtyards, another three containing the official residences of the emperors follow. I moved through these quickly on my way to a less famous set of buildings to the east. I wanted to find the Juxian dian (Hall for Worshiping Ancestors) which now contains a fine collection of clocks. Although the Chinese invented paper, printing, fireworks and noodles, their best clocks were either sundials or clepsydra. (That’s right clepsydra—never heard of them myself before this.) Clepsydra operate with water which drips evenly from bowl to bowl recording the passage of time. There was a magnificent example within this splendid hall. There were also many fine examples of European clocks collected by the Qing who apparently found them more decorative as well as more reliable.

My final destination was the set of palaces Qianlong constructed in 1722-26 for his retirement. Here he spent the last four years of his life, presumably free of the cares of an emperor, in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity. Most noteworthy are the gardens, a fine example of northern Chinese style. They include a ‘cup-floating stream’ where one was expected to compose a poem as a cup of wine floated by or swallow its contents—a drinking game that is unlikely to prove popular among American students. The small space also includes rockeries, galleries and small pavilions.

No visit to China, of course, would be complete without a visit to the terracotta army of Xian. While I had reservations about seeing it, I thought it best to include a stop there as I worked my way south to Thailand. What excuse could I offer when people asked why I hadn’t seen the terracotta warriors? The army was discovered by a local peasant when digging a well in 1974. (He is still alive and was autographing guide books when I visited.) Since then an additional two pits have been excavated.

The army was buried to defend the tomb of the first Qin emperor who is thought to have unified China, introduced standardized weights and measures and otherwise created a nation out of the feudal states that preceded his often ruthless rule. In addition to the warriors, each with unique facial features, a small bronze chariot thought to have been used to carry the soul of the emperor has also been excavated. The massive display is spectacular. I had to admit it’s a must see.